In the hours before Manchester City's defeat by Liverpool, an update from 'in and around' emerged regarding the impending outcome of their alleged 115+ breaches of financial misconduct trial.

Since February 2023 Man City have strongly protested their innocence after the Premier League accused them of serious financial rules breaches dated between 2009 and 2018. The debate came to a head between September and December of last year, when a tribunal in front of an independent commission took place in the capital.

Evidence is being reviewed by that three-man panel at present with hopes of a verdict being published in the coming months. As for an update on that matter, David Ornstein has provided the latest.

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"It’s just over two years ago since those charges and the feeling I get from speaking to people at and around the club is that we could be looking at a springtime verdict. So, maybe a month or two away and that feels pretty soon," he revealed to NBC Sports ahead of the game at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

"Of course this is still subject to potential appeals in that process too, but the verdict would feel like a seismic moment whatever the outcome."

If the verdict rules against the reigning champions, it has been speculated that they could be stripped of titles, dealt a huge points deduction or perhaps even relegated from the English top-flight.

But Ornstein continued, sharing what knowledge he has picked up from Arsenal's rivals - prolonged belief of complete innocence.

"The important point to say from City’s perspective is that they are totally confident that they will be exonerated and prove their innocence, so they’re operating as usual.

"We saw them do a lot of business in the January transfer window. None of that business, to my knowledge, was to pre-empt potential punishment because they don’t think they are going to be punished for these alleged breaches.

"In the contract negotiations they’ve been holding in recent years, the transfer talks that have taken place, no clauses have been inserted into those deals to say ‘if City are punished, this is going to happen’. Players want to join Manchester City and they are continuing with everything that they are doing.

"It had no impact on Pep Guardiola signing a new contract in autumn, on Erling Haaland in the story I broke in January, on Txiki Begiristain’s decision to leave the club as sporting director - that was long-planned, or Hugo Viana’s decision to replace him.

"They think that they are going to be fined [at most], let’s see how it materialises."